Inspiration for Leaders

Enjoy this news and reflection blog brought to you from the LHRIC Technology Leadership Institute!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

YouTube for Schools: A Good Bet for the Future?

You might remember a time when YouTube was, like its friend Facebook, the
bad kid in the schoolyard. Those days might just be over for the video-sharing
website once best known for documenting fistfights and piano-playing cats.

In March, The New York Times published a story
about Google’s new tool, YouTube for Schools. Thought you’d never hear the
words “YouTube” and “schools” together in the same sentence? Largely because of
the support of tech-savvy teachers, YouTube has introduced a new tool that
permits school districts to use a “gated” version of the website. With it,
teachers and administrators are able to view all videos on YouTube, but
students can’t log in, at least not in school. Still, the tool allows them to
watch YouTube EDU videos like Khan
Academy, PBS, TED Talks
and Steven Spangler Science, along with videos posted by their school district.

This is a major step forward for YouTube. The site has gradually
transformed its reputation by introducing YouTube EDU several years ago in a
partnership with the country’s major universities, then by working closely with
the fabulous Khan
Academy to make its
videos accessible to the world. Already, a number of school districts around
the country have signed up YouTube for Schools, including the Chicago Public
Schools.

YouTube for Teachers is another
useful resource, which includes hundreds of video playlists, organized by
subject and grade, with many aligned to common core standards.
Here’s a video explanation of YouTube for Schools: